Deceptions
by Desertcoyote77
Summary: The Dark Lord is dead, his followers scattered. Deceptions are found and more deceptions are used to secure an even greater victory. One truth is certain, innocence is the first casualty in war. Very A/U. Harmony. Input is ALWAYS encouraged.


Deceptions

A Harry Potter Story

Chapter 1

House Malfoy

Disclaimer: The Harry Potter Universe belongs to JK Rowling. I'm just playing in her sandbox.

Draco Malfoy sat quietly before the fire. It was the first time he could rest in days. Those damned aurors were like dogs, hounding him until they finally lost his scent.

The safe house was nearly decrepit, the furniture in tatters, the fireplace wasn't floo connected, but there was plenty of fire-whiskey and no one knew of this place. The situation was dire, but at least there was a chance to rest here before he left Britain. Unfortunately, the quiet night also gave Draco a chance to remember what brought him to such a low place.

It was only hours after he left Hogwarts with his mother and father. His family had gambled everything on the Dark Lord and they lost. Potter and his friends had won. It was only a matter of time before the mudbloods and other degenerates of the magical world would strike back against their betters, mainly the Malfoys and all the others that followed the Dark Lord.

Lucius was scrambling around the house packing what they could carry and sell quickly. Narcissa was in the bedrooms packing clothes and a few family heirlooms. Everyone stopped when they all felt the chill run down their spines, the property boundary wards had been breached. He had never seen ear on his mother's face before until that moment. He was scared too. He was dragged to the main room where his father was waiting, wand in hand.

His parents shared a moment until the mid boundary wards tripped. Narcissa gave a small nod and Lucius burst into action. Draco was again dragged towards the apparition point. He saw his mother pull her wand and walk towards the main doors.

Three days later Draco had found news about his mother in the Daily Prophet. The headline read, "Narcissa Malfoy sentenced to death veil. Execution to be carried out tomorrow at noon."

He read the headline again and sat quietly. His father gave Draco a look of disgust and grew angry. He listened to his father rant about the low mudbloods and Potter worshipers. The complete lack of remorse for his mother caught Draco off guard. It was that moment he knew his father couldn't be trusted.

Draco stood in the rain. It was another English summer and the rains were heavy. Lucius was in the alley with a contact, a fencer, trying to sell a few trinkets for quick galleons. The muggle car driving by covered the sound of the aurors as they apparated around the corner.

What Lucius didn't know was that after the defeat of Voldemort, the aurors had leaned heavily on suspected dark object fencers. Turn in any Death Eaters and get a full pardon for their fencing and other related crimes. The marketing becoming what it was after the death of the Dark Lord, the fencer was more than happy to rat out his former customers.

While Lucius was bargaining prices, the fencer activated a charm on his ring alerting the aurors to come immediately. Lucius had his own warning scheme in the area and felt some wizards approaching from around the corner. Draco came running from across the street, "Father! The aurors!"

Knowing he was betrayed, Lucius killed his contact and took the sack of galleons, "Hurry Draco, they'll be here in moments."

Draco ran along with his father to the apparition point, somewhere hidden behind some prearranged notice me not charms. He heard his father coming up behind him, "I'm sorry Draco."

He had been expecting the betrayal. He planned to do the same. Neither could get a fresh start elsewhere with the other. With speed that surprised himself, he quickly disarmed and froze his father in place, "I knew we would end up like this Father," the last word said in disgust, "I will take this since the Ministry won't need the extra galleons."

Draco grabbed the bag of gold, "At least you'll see Mother soon enough."

With that farewell, Draco crashed the notice me not ward and apparated away.

It was the last bottle of fire-whiskey left in the house. He relished the burn making it's way down his throat. Two days was long enough, the aurors had lost his trail and now it was time to leave Britain to the mudbloods until he could return to recapture it for the pure bloods. A self satisfied chuckle was interrupted by powerful anti-portkey/apparition wards erected around the property. The aurors had found him.

Draco was ready to fight his way out. The aurors were pathetic when it came to a real fight, he seen his aunt and father wade through them in the past. This wouldn't be any different, "Come out Malfoy! You can't run this time!"

He recognized that voice, "Potter? For a moment I was worried that someone dangerous was coming after me. Is the Ministry golden boy ready for a real fight? How about I come out and kill you quickly!"

Outside, Harry had finally tracked down Draco. He followed the tracking charm he had attached to Draco when they rescued him from the fiendfyre in the Come and Go Room. Vincent Crabbe wasn't so lucky. Then again, he did try to kill Hermione. It was like Draco to leave his own mother to cover his escape and leave his father to the aurors as a distraction.

Harry smiled at Draco's ego, "Oh Draco, don't tell me you still believe in that pureblood nonsense."

"I'm much more dangerous that you think Potter! I'll give you a chance to run, or else I'll send you to mommy and daddy," Draco levied a chain of spells he had been practicing since sixth year. It was a combination of disarm, stun, blunt force and slash hexes. After the press praised Potter as the next Merlin, he was surprised to catch him off guard so easily. Potter's ego was always stronger than his actual skill. As an afterthought, Draco fired off a few blasting hexes, just to be sure.

His adrenalin rush was fading, his breathing returning to normal. Draco smiled at the smoke and dust kicked up by the blasting curses. He was reaching for his portkey when a thought came to him. His smile widened, Potter's mudblood bitch should have something to remember the Boy-Who-Lived, maybe a hand or better yet, those pretty green eyes those Slytheryn slags used to talk about.

When the smoke and dust settled, he froze, shocked to his core. The crater was empty. The lump in his throat moved to his stomach when he heard Potter, "Really Draco, is that all the scion of Malfoy, the great champion of the inbred can do?"

His fear turned to anger, "Where are you Potter! Come out so I can pay you back for what you did to my mother!"

"I'm right here," Draco pivoted on one foot in time to see a curse hit his chest. His world went black before he hit the ground.

It was the smell that roused Draco from his slumber, the smell of a fire. He noticed the tight ropes and the hard chair he was tied to. Then it was HIS voice, "Oh, you're finally awake. Good."

Harry sat across from Draco. Sipping from the same bottle of firewhiskey that Draco savored earlier in the day, "It's not Ogden's Finest, but then again Hermione would kill me if she saw me drinking anything stronger than butter beer."

Draco flinched. Harry threw the bottle into the fireplace causing the fire to flare. He swallowed that lump in his throat again, "What are you playing at Potter? Why didn't you take me to the Ministry?"

Draco's voice cracked, sounding more out of fear than the hatred he was trying to show. Harry just laughed at the bravado, "You don't actually believe the drivel the Prophet is spewing, do you? Of course you do. Despite pretending to be a wolf, you're just another sheep in the flock. The Ministry Assigns Potter to Hunt Remaining Death Eaters, what shite. Please, those fools couldn't find their arses if their heads were up them. I am hunting down the reaming Death Eaters Draco, but not for the Ministry. By the time I'm done, I'll probably be more wanted than the Death Eaters."

Harry neatly folded the Prophet and threw it at Draco, "The Ministry, the Wizengamot, they were right to be afraid of Tom Riddle. After all, he was a true threat to those that held the power in your world. Just look at the last few ministers: Bagnold let my godfather rot in Azkaban without a trial, Fudge was practically working for your father and Scrimgeour? The less said the better. They did everything in their power to protect themselves, their power base and line their pockets with as much gold as possible. What they don't realize yet and they will, is that they should be more afraid of me."

Draco wasn't much worried about what this insane halfblood was going to do to the Ministry. No, he was far more worried about his own skin. He studied his surroundings, looking for something to help him escape while Potter ranted. Harry noticed Malfoy getting anxious and conjured a setting of tea, "Draco, I know you have no idea of what I'm talking about. No doubt you're too worried about yourself. Well relax for now. I'm going to tell you a tale Draco and like all great tales, this one starts with the smallest of tasks. Of all things, it's a summer homework assignment from Professor Binns."

Author's Note: This is the first chapter to a moderately sized story. Updates will be sporadic until I finish a couple of one shot stories in the Potter and Buffy Universes. Please leave your praise, complaints or criticisms, they help us writers improve our craft.


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